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Air Jamaica said a preliminary targeted transaction date of April 12, 2010 has been set when its operations will begin the transition to Caribbean Airlines. Air Jamaica said this transaction date is in line with the airline’s major schedule change that was previously announced.

But the transaction date could change as the details of the transition are finalized. As of April 12, Air Jamaica will offer four daily flights from Fort Lauderdale, three daily flights from New York (JFK) and daily flights from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Toronto.

The transition to Caribbean Airlines will be phased over a period of up to one year in order to ensure that customers continue to get the best possible travel experience.

Air Jamaica aircraft will continue to be utilized during the transition period. Current Air Jamaica pilots, flight crews and ground staff will operate the aircraft for the schedule already published. All customer services, including reservations, website and sales, will continue to operate in much the same way as today, for a period of time.

“We have enjoyed a tremendous relationship with our loyal customers in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, as well as throughout the Diaspora, and we are pleased to advise that our company is also committed to continuing these relationships, doing everything possible to earn your loyalty and trust,” said Bruce Nobles, Air Jamaica’s president and CEO.

Meanwhile, The Jamaica Observer newspaper reported that Caribbean Airlines will only be taking over Air Jamaica’s profitable routes to ensure Jamaica maintains its tourism lifeline with its major markets in North America and Europe, but will not assume any of the airline’s debt.

The newspaper also reported the jobs of Air Jamaica employees will be made redundant on April 12, since Caribbean Airlines has only been contracted to take up the slack in service on Air Jamaica’s routes.

For more information or reservations, call 800-523-5585 or visit www.AirJamaica.com

The over-the-water suites project at Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort is proceeding with construction plans currently on-schedule to begin in early 2011.

These suites, which will be the first-of-their-kind in the Caribbean, are set to begin welcoming guests in 2012.

In addition to the newly opened, all-butler Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas, the over-the-water suites will help further introduce guests to the next level of the Sandals Resorts Luxury Included vacation experience. Adam Stewart, CEO of Sandals Resorts said,

“Now, with these suites, guests will no longer need to travel halfway around the world to enjoy the popular over-the-water experience.”

The 26 over-the-water suites will be available to guests in three luxury categories.

The suites will feature see-through glass floors, over-the-water hammocks, outdoor showers and Jacuzzis, and lit water for night viewing.

All 26 over-the-water suites will also include butler service, courtesy of Sandals Resorts’ exclusive partnership with the Guild of Professional English Butlers.

This spring, Almond Resorts, located on the islands of Barbados and St. Lucia are offering vacations that start at $435 per person for a four-day/three-night stay when booking before May 31 for travel through Dec. 20.

Almond Resorts’ all-inclusive price provides guests with unlimited food and beverage, with a choice of a la carte or buffet-style dining in a relaxed or upscale atmosphere.

Diversions are also included, such as kayaking, sailing and windsurfing, snorkeling, banana boat rides, water skiing and tennis.

Almond Resorts on Barbados and St. Lucia has five all-inclusive resorts. Almond Beach Club & Spa (161 rooms), Almond Beach Village (400 rooms) and Almond Casuarina Beach Resort (289 rooms) are located on the island of Barbados, and Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort (340 rooms) and Almond Smugglers Cove (357 rooms) are located on St. Lucia.

For more information, call 800-4ALMOND or visit www.almondresorts.com/specials

With five all-inclusive properties on Barbados and St. Lucia, Almond Resorts is promoting destination weddings.

Complimentary at all Almond Resorts when booking seven or more room nights, wedding basics, such as clergy/magistrate, government fees, witnesses, champagne, bouquet and boutonniere and a wedding coordinator, are included in each wedding package, starting with Wedding for You.

Taking it a step further, the Treasured Wedding for You, Opulent Wedding for You and Platinum Wedding for You all offer different levels of luxury for the discerning bride and groom.

Starting at $1,729 as an upgrade from the Wedding for You when booked on or after Jan. 1, Treasured Wedding for You adds upgraded amenities including a 24-photo album and CD, a two-tiered wedding cake and toasting flutes, as well as a couples massage for the bride and groom and breakfast in bed the morning after the wedding.

Opulent Wedding for You, starting at $1,989 when booked on or after Jan. 1 offers brides and grooms all of the amenities of the Treasured Wedding for You, plus an album of 36 photos from the big day and the couple’s very own real star from the International Star Registry.

The ultimate upgrade from the Wedding for You, Platinum Wedding for You, starting at $3,279 when booked on or after Jan. 1 offers brides and grooms extras such as a candlelit dinner for two on the beach, a spa day, hair and makeup for the bride and an island tour of Barbados or St. Lucia.

They can also participate in an array of activities provided in the all-inclusive price, such as learning how to sail together, kayaking and windsurfing, yoga at sunrise or simply lying in the shade of a palm tree. Also covered with the one price are activities such as snorkeling, banana boat rides, water skiing, tennis and golf at Almond Beach Village or in St. Lucia at the St. Lucia Golf Course.

Onsite wedding coordinators are available and supervisors based in Orlando, Fla., can deliver important wedding and reception answers within 48 business hours of the couple’s inquiry.

From detailed dining arrangements to planning a private reception at The Great House, a 250 year-old estate in St. Lucia, to scheduling a private island tour or delivering breakfast in bed, everything can be handled through the specialists to achieve the perfect Caribbean celebration.

The five all-inclusive properties on Barbados and St. Lucia include Almond Beach Club & Spa (161 rooms), Almond Beach Village (400 rooms) and Almond Casuarina Beach Resort (289 rooms) are all located on the island of Barbados, Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort (340 rooms) and Almond Smugglers Cove (357 rooms) are located on St. Lucia.

For more information, call 800-4ALMOND or visit www.almondresortsweddings.com

Long-haul tour operator, Tropical Sky, has expanded with the acquisition of www.familydiving.co.uk .

Already a successful brand, Family Diving focuses on providing a broad range of tailor-made diving packages for families travelling with children to Egypt, Maldives, St Lucia and Tobago.

All resorts have children’s clubs whilst some also offer qualified childcare. Other services important to those travelling with younger family members include a personalised fly-and-stay nanny service where a personal nanny is made available for the full duration of their holiday.

Under the new branding, Family Diving has introduced a choice of exotic new destinations for 2010 including Mauritius, Turks & Caicos and Grenada. Packages include;

May Half-Term in the Maldives

Take the family to the Maldives in May and stay for seven-nights on an all-inclusive basis at Biyadoo Island Resort from £3,599 for a family of four.

Valid for travel on 28 May, the price includes flights from London Gatwick with British Airways and accommodation in a Beach Front Villa.

Situated in South Male Atoll the island has one of the Maldives finest house reefs and offers perfect diving conditions for diving enthusiasts whilst providing ideal learning conditions for adult and junior divers.

Summer Holidays in Grenada

Spend the summer holidays in Grenada with seven-nights on an all-inclusive basis at the Grenadian by rex resorts from £3,999 for a family of four. V

alid for travel in July and August, the price includes flights from London Gatwick with Monarch and accommodation in a hillside room. Set in 30 acres of landscaped gardens on the sandy beach of Tamarind Bay, the hotel offers great value and is well-suited to families with its excellent facilities including a children’s club, two swimming pools, floodlit tennis courts, beach volleyball and non-motorised watersports.

October Half-Term in Sharm El Sheikh

Tropical Sky Family Diving is offering seven-nights staying at the Savoy Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh on a bed and breakfast basis from £3,099 for a family of four. Valid for travel on 23 October, the price includes flights from London Gatwick with British Airways and accommodation in a garden room.

A popular hotel for families, the surrounding national park and large private beach is a haven for divers, snorkellers and watersport enthusiasts.

All packages include transfers, taxes and surcharges with babysitting available at all resorts on request.

Prices quoted are for a family of four, which is based on two adults and two children under 12 sharing.

For more information visit www.familydiving.co.uk  or call 01342 310585.

Rain Forest Aerial Trams St. Lucia, a St. Lucia eco-adventure company, launched the new Adrena Line Zip-Line tour a half-hour drive from the port of Castries and the island’s major hotels.

Upon arriving to Rain Forest Aerial Trams St. Lucia, visitors participate in an orientation and safety briefing.

It starts with a short hike through the rainforest, then a climb across the Floating Stairs suspended above the ground past the Eagle’s Claw — so named for the grip of the root system that has consumed the volcanic boulder — that delivers them to the first of 14 platforms.

Trained rainforest sweeper guides hitch riders up to a series of cables to zip from platform to platform, finally swaying from the Tarzan Swing onto the Tarantula’s Nest.

Then riders enjoy a heart-dropping slide off a platform down the Boa Rappel to terra firma and their land legs.

After the action, visitors can wind down, enjoy refreshments, and indulge in some shopping at the Duty Free Gift Shop.

All riggings are on a triple redundancy system to ensure safety, and the activity is certified by the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT).

Groups of eight are guided with two experienced “rainforest sweepers” guides. Rain Forest Aerial Tram St. Lucia in the highland community of Chassin offers visitors an opportunity for full immersion in St. Lucia’s rainforest, located at approximately 2,000 feet above sea level at the base of La Sorciere.

The original Rain Forest Aerial Tram Atlantic was established in 1994 in Costa Rica by H.J. Von der Goltz.

It was built in the middle of 1,200 acres of dense jungle without impacting the forest.

Today, five Rain Forest Aerial Trams located in Costa Rica (Pacific and Atlantic), Saint Lucia, Dominica and Jamaica serve as wildlife reserves and eco-tourism attractions.

For more information, call 866-759-8726 or visit www.rainforestrams.com

Fans of the popular television series “The Bachelor” can take advantage of a real-life romance package at select Sandals Resorts in St. Lucia.

With the Red Rose Romance Package, guests who book a stay of six or more nights are eligible to receive a $250 credit at Red Lane Spa, Sandals’ exclusive Caribbean-inspired luxury spa.

The promotion is available for bookings at Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa in St. Lucia and Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort until March 31 for travel through Dec. 28 and Jan. 1 to Dec. 28, 2011.

The Red Rose Romance Package is combinable with other popular promotions at the resort, including the Martha Stewart-designed Beautiful Beginnings Wedding Theme, as well as Sandals Select Points, created for loyal guests.

Right now, Funjet Vacations is launching its Best Prices Under the Sun sale.

 Guests who book a hotel or a flight and hotel package by March 25 for travel to Dec. 31 to Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii or Costa Rica get Funjet’s lowest hotel price.

During the sale shoppers will also find deals on Las Vegas, Florida, California and New York vacations.

If prices drop after booking, Funjet will refund the difference of the hotel portion of the vacation package.

Roundtrip airport/hotel transportation is included with Mexico and Caribbean hotel-inclusive vacation packages.

Travelers to Cancun/Riviera Maya, Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit, Los Cabos, Punta Cana and Jamaica will receive a complimentary “Experience More” card — Funjet’s exclusive vacation enhancer that offers discounts for popular nightclubs, restaurants, activities and more.

Clients have the option to choose an all-inclusive resort, with meals, beverages, entertainment and tips included in the price.

Exclusive hotel offers, including kids stay, play and eat free, complimentary room upgrades, spa or dining credits and other value-added inclusions.

For more information about Funjet Vacations, visit the banner at right.

Green Globe-certified Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort on St. Lucia is offering the Red Rose Proposal which provides couples with a one-bedroom villa with private plunge pool.

The all-inclusive romance vacation allows couples to ignite passion by featuring champagne and a red rose surrounded with tropical flowers upon arrival; a romantic in-villa, couple’s massage; a candlelit dinner or champagne breakfast served in the privacy of their villa; plus the package includes all food and beverage (premium brand liquor), non-motorized watersports and entertainment.

Sun Dollars (resort credit) allows couples to enjoy room upgrades, fine wine, spa treatments, food and beverage purchases, island excursions like zip-lining trips, horseback riding, scuba, and more. The Red Rose Proposal package is priced per couple as follows: four nights, $3,029 ($200 Sun Dollars); seven nights, $4,919 ($350 Sun Dollars); and 10 nights, $6,809 ($500 Sun Dollars).

Additional nights are available are $631 per couple per night ($50 nightly Sun Dollars).

For more information, call 877-522-0722 or visit www.windjammer-landing.com

Going green, ecotourism, social and natural sustainability:

Rain Forest Aerial Trams’ parks in Jamaica, Costa Rica, Dominica and St. Lucia, are contributing in the worldwide “green” effort. Unlike other businesses, they’ve been doing it long before it became a global trend.

Celebrating 15 years, Rain Forest Aerial Tram Foundation has implemented a wide array of innovative programs and initiatives that aim to preserve natural resources.

They promote activities both on their Aerial Tram locations and within neighboring communities that foster a leadership growth in order to change participants’ mindsets from one of environmental destruction, to one that lives harmoniously with the environment.

Each of Rain Forest Aerial Trams’ five parks is part of a bigger proposition, where conservation, research and education is key and they are dedicated to promoting these philosophies to the visitors.

Further, through their youth Leadership Program for Sustainable Development, tomorrow’s policy makers experience models of sustainable environmental-resource use.

Rain Forest’s President Josef Preschel is available for interviews and to comment on any stories covering sustainability, conservation and environmental stories.